165. Basic Strengthening

Two days later.

Mace pointed to three people and said to Leo and Shinobu, "Sir, madam, the three of them are the best among our crew."

Leo looked at the three infront of him. Two were men and one was a woman.

The two men were called Dali and Flare and woman was called Violet.

Dali and Flare focused on sword while Violet had excellent marksmanship.

Leo said, "The three of you will be trained by Me, Shinobu and Mace. By the time the trainings over all of you will have the ability of an average vice admiral."

Dali, Flare and Violet stared when they heard Leo.

Violet couldn't help but say, "But sir, our potential ain't that great."

Leo smiled, "You don't have to worry about that."

Shinobu came forward and explained, "Your talent is average but we can go around it as long as you can bear some pain, can you?"

The three of them looked at each other. A flame seems to be burning in their eyes.

If this training can raise their abilities to the level of a vice admiral, what's a little pain?

"Yes, we can, madam!"

The three of them stood straight and shouted, their voice mixed with excitement.

Hope you guys can still say that after she is done with you.

Leo muttered to himself.

"Alright, Mace will teach you the basics of kenbunshoku and busoshoku haki. Shinobu's job will be to strengthen your physique. I will take care of your sword skills. And Violet, since you focus on marksmanship you will need a custom made weapon."

"Let's start."

Shinobu walked to them and took out three syringes filled with some kind of blue liquid and injected them with it.

The three of them felt something flow through their arm to their chest. It stayed there for a moment before spreading out through their body.

At first they only felt a slight itch but soon it felt as if something was crawling through their body. Soon all of them fell on the ground and twitched from time to time.

They felt as if their bodies were being burned.

Mace swallowed when he saw their wretched appearance and asked, "Ma-madam, what did you do... I mean what's happening?"

Shinobu checked their condition and explained, "Their talent is average and it will take a long time for them to improve, and even if they improve, it will be negligible. Talent is decided by birth, it won't change as one grow up."

"So, I am strengthening them from a cellular level. By destroying their base and rebuilding it, their foundation will be more solid. This will change their talent and improve their physique."

Mace exclaimed, "This can be done!?"

Shinobu nodded, "Theoretically, yes."

Theoretically...

A cold sweat ran down his sideburns.

Thank god, I had enough talent otherwise...

Leo suddenly asked, "This is enough?"

Shinobu shook her head, "No. This is just the basic strengthening. There are two more rounds. Only when they have fully assimilated the changes could I move onto the next round. After the next two rounds they would reach their max potential."

Leo nodded.

The three of them writhed on the ground for two hours before stopping. After that round of torture they didn't even have the strength to speak.

Shinobu gave them a drink which they dared not drink. However her smile somehow made them voluntarily drink it.

Luckily the drink wasn't a torture potion and it restored a bit of their strength.

"Alright. Your body has gone through a round of strengthening. Take the next two days off and train modestly to fully digest these changes."

Shinobu instructed them.

After her part was over Leo said, "Two days later, meet me at the training ground. Dismissed."

The three of them saluted and left.

On the way back Mace said, "Be prepared, there are two more rounds of that tort... strengthening."

The three of them shuddered and immediately ran off.

Mace oversaw their training the following days. After two days they had accustomed to the changes in their body.

All three of them were astonished. Their strength went up by a notch!

And this was just a basic strengthening, what would happen if they went through the other two rounds?

A fire burned in their eyes, however it soon died down when they thought of the pain.

On the training field.

"Dali, Flare, here are notes from master swordsmen. Compare the notes and spar with each other. After that do strength training, there are weights over there."

Dali and Flare listened attentively and looked at where Leo pointed. Their faces turned ugly when they saw the weights.

At a corner of the field was several sets of black metal dumbbells. The smallest was their height and the largest was three times their height.

Ignoring their crying expression Leo turned to Violet.

"You are weaker when it comes to raw strength so we need to focus on your speed. How is your Rokushiki?"

Violet answered honestly, "I am proficient in Geppo and Soru, the rest are mediocre."

Leo nodded, "Good. You know your limits. Since strength isn't your forte you developed your speed, that's good."

He then turned to Shinobu who was watching from the side and asked, "Can it be done?"

Shinobu walked towards Violet and checked her body.

"Well, the basic strengthening improved her physique considerably. It shouldn't be a problem for her to start taking it."

Violet trembled when she heard about 'taking' something again. She was prepared for another round of pain when Shinobu gave her a vial of purple pills.

"Eat one after training."

Violet was surprised and asked, "No injections?"

"No. Do you want one?"

Violet mmediately shook her head, "No! Definitely no!"

Suddenly she thought of something and asked, "What does this one do?"

Shinobu explained, "This drug will slowly change your constitution to that of a speed type. Your muscles will have tremendous explosive power and flexibility."

Violet was astonished. She knew her madam was very talented in medicine but this...

She thought of something and asked in a soft tone, "Will it... um... change my body... you know, in a..."

Shinobu smiled and reassured her, "Don't worry. It won't give you bulky muscles, in fact it will turn your body slimmer and more proportional."

Violet smiled like a blooming flower.

Leo clearly heard them but chose to ignore it. He said, "Mace will teach you the basics of kenbunshoku and busoshoku haki. After that is done we will focus on your marksmanship."